The following is from the book 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me), written in 1970 by John Fischer. The original list was written in first person plural (we, our, us) but I decided to change it into first person singular (I, my, me) to help get what I hope is my point across more forcefully:
12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee
- I admit that my single most unmitigated pleasure is to judge other people.
- I have come to believe that my means of obtaining greatness is to make everyone lower than myself in my mind.
- I realize that I detest mercy being given to those who, unlike me, haven’t worked for it and don’t deserve it.
- I have decided that I don’t want to get what I deserve after all, and I don’t want anyone else to either.
- I will cease all attempts to apply teaching and rebuke to anyone but myself.
- I am ready to have God remove all these defects of attitude and character.
- I embrace the belief that I am, and will always be, expert at sinning.
- I am looking closely at the lives of famous men and women of the Bible who turned out to be ordinary sinners like me.
- I am seeking through prayer and meditation to make a conscious effort to consider others better than myself.
- I embrace the state of astonishment as a permanent and glorious reality.
- I choose to rid myself of any attitude that is not bathed in gratitude.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, I will try to carry this message to others who think that Christians are better than anyone else.
I am all to familiar with those self audits - and wish that the findings were not so often much the same. A work in progress. Always.
ReplyDeleteI do however I think (hope) that I live points ten and eleven.
Sue, astonishment and gratitude are worthy goals to strive for.
DeleteWell, I seem to have returned to Blogland just in time. How I'm going to save you from yourself I'm not sure. In fact I'm not sure if anyone can. However, it's coffee time and I'll give it some earnest thought.
ReplyDeleteThe Pharisees (if I remember correctly from my Christian youth) were (apart from walking on the other side of roads) a perfect example from Judaism of a large proportion of today's population in many religious fields. Indeed it even carries over into secular fields.
I came to realise many moons ago that I am not a very good anything (except possibly optimist about certain things) and that made myself much easier to live with. Come to think of it I'm pretty much the perfect person with whom to live.
Graham, how perfectly ironic it is, then, that you live alone.
DeleteI think I'll strive to become a Pharisee.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, whatever you do, do not strive to become a Pharisee! Just the opposite.
DeleteOkay Bob but am I allowed to identify as one? I am part way there as I drive on the wrong side of the road.....I did try switching to your side but gave up after several near misses. Bloody dangerous it was I don't know how you cope.
DeleteAdrian, this conversation grows curiouser and curiouser, very Alice in Wonderland-ish. You are "allowed" (forsooth) to do whatever your little heart desires. That's what free will is all about. What you identify with is strictly up to you! But it has absolutely no connection, repeat, no connection with what side of the road you drive on, unless you are being metaphorical, of course. Look, a Cheshire cat!
DeleteDidn't the Pharisee cross to the other side. Happen it was some other Arab. I'm not well up on Arabs or the bible.
DeleteAh, the light is beginning to dawn (on me). You are thinking of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10, where two people “passed by on the other side” before the Good Samaritan came by and stopped to help the wounded man. But they were a priest and a Levite (temple worker) — no Pharisee is mentioned. I was thinking of the parable of the Pharisee and the publican (tax collector) in Luke chapter 18, where the Pharisee thanked God that he was not as other men and listed off his good deeds in prayer. The despised publican, on the other hand, bowed his head and prayed “God, be merciful unto me, a sinner.” Your comments make sense to me now. Not Alice-in-Wonderland-ish at all.
DeleteFor the most part it seems that being a Pharisee is to be extremely negative. It's too much work to be that pessimistic. I believe I'll continue to be me.
ReplyDeleteEmma, they were extremely judgmental and considered themselves superior to others. I congratulate you on making a good choice.
DeleteThis is one of the most incisive character tests I've seen in a long time
ReplyDeletekylie, I think so too. It cuts to the chase.
DeleteAre the pharisee's eyes opened between steps 3 & 4?
ReplyDeleteKathy, either that or the Lord whomped him upside the head with a two-by-four (lol)!
ReplyDeleteToo bad I cannot give this to a few people without seeming a little like a Pharisee myself. The pitfalls of being a former evangelical but still having friends steeped within the folds.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I had similar feelings when I was deciding whether to make a post out of this list. I just threw caution to the winds and did it anyway. Welcome to the blog, by the way.
ReplyDelete